The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1887-01-26
Tho Verdict Of the State Press on tho
Hanging of Cluyerius.

81" > ~ 8, - c.nl p ; 3 ~ s. 81 f'.E
Gov. Lee refused to further re-
prieve Thomas j. Cluverius, and on
Friday he was hanged at Richmond
for the murder Of Fannie Lillian
Madison. There are many who
doubt his guilt, and who think the
proof was not sufficient to sustain q
verdict of guilty. We think he has
mot a just fate, though he died pro
testing his innocence.-Abbeville
Messenger. t4ts
Cluverius, the Virginia murderer,
was hanged in Richmond on Friday,
He behaved with great GOODNESS ond
selfpossession in the dreadful hour
Of death, and asserted his entire in.
nocence to the last. Nevertheless,
so far as human circumstance could
point, and human Judgment could
judge, he was wicked, licentious,
brutal, cowardly, hypocritical mon
ster:-Edgefe Chronicle.
The fact that Cluverius protested
his innocence to the last, will shake
the conviction of many in his guilt.
But in declining to confess he simply
did as the great majority of murder.
crs similarly situated, have done be.
fore him. Besides, it should be re.
membered that the hope of further
reprieve was held out to linn to with.
in very short time Of his execution.
-Fdi'5eld M,us and Herald.
His persistent denial of the crime,
upon tho very threshold of eternity,
must serve to strengthen the opinion,
apparently held by many in Virginia,
that he did not commit murder. The
weakness Of his case lay in the fact
that the. proof clearly showed pow.
erful motive on his part to put poor
Lillian Madison quite out of his way.
Assuming Cluverius to have been
guilty, his execution is but another
proof of tho majesty of the law-of
its sufficiency for the protection of
human life.-KeoaUee Courier. ..,
The hanging of Cluverius is a good
job and appears to have been we'll
done. So far as human testimony
and human judgment are to be
trusted there is no doubt that
this man was an accomplished
scoundrel, cold Eblooded hypocrite
and scheming, cruel murderer who
destroyed the woman who had been
foolish and wicked enough to allow
him to destroy her honor and her
soul. 1t is well that unreasoning
sympathy and fear Of possible injus.
tice we're not allowed to prevent the
Greenville NeaUS.
Cluverius paid the death penalty
yesterday for the murder of Fannie
Lillian Madison, his cousin, at Rich
mond, Va. The murder in all it's SEN
sational forms, as we'll as the subse.
quent trial and conviction Of Cluve.
rius, are still in the minds of the pub.
lie. Herculean efforts to bring auout
further respite were Of no avail,
and the condemned man died hoping
--expecting to the last moment to
hear of his respite. Many refuse to
believe Cluverius guilty Of the crime
OF which he has been punished.
However, the ablest legal talent in
Virginia failed to save him from the
gallows.-AuJust0 Chronicle.
The hanging of Cluverius with q
variegated silk rope is new feature
in criminal executions. Why the
fatal moose should Lave been of silk,
or why yariegated, is something that
the Richmond sheriff may be able to
explain; but TO the uninitiated it
seems like a waste of good material
on a cold blooded murderer who first
destroyed the soul of his victim by
seducing her from the paths of virtue
and then 3hurling her into watery
grave in the vain effort to be rid OF
the consequences Of his crime. The
silken moose served only to pro
tract his agonies, so that after all il
would have been better to have swung
him into eternity at the end of Q
common hempen cord.-AikeA Re
corder.
Thomas ). Cluverius was executed
insthe Richmond, Va, Jail yard or
laSL frluhy IOr tne murdcr or hlf
cousin, Fannie Lillian Madison
some two years ago. The case has
become celebrated one in the Grim
inal annals of this country, and aftc1
the conviction was sustained by tn,
Appeal Court of Virginia, every pos
sible effort wat made to secure
commutation. But Governor LIE,
refused to interfere, and Cluveriu
was hung, protesting his innocenc,
to- the last. The test ;ony ~upol
which he was convicted was mainl,
circumstantial, and while It did no
clearly establish the murder, in ou
opinion it certainly had the probo
biiitics Of guilt strongly against Gu
verius. The sentiment throughou
the country is, that he was rightfull,
hung.dnderson Mtellgencer.